He'd known all along; he'd been certain, this whole time, that his nightmares were valid. But to see it confirmed right before his very eyes? It was a whole new level of terrifying.
JJ immediately backed away, falling backwards in the process, and made to get as far away as he could. It was beyond dangerous to be this close.
"What's the matter?" Alfred asked, still appallingly casual.
"What do you think?" JJ snapped. "My nightmares were real! They're going to break in soon!"
"Why are you scared? It's the others that will be on that day, but not us. It's like I said, JJ - we're going to escape."
"How?"
"Just follow me. This wasn't the only thing I wanted to show you."
Despite being frustrated at how vague he was being, JJ listened for the sake of getting away from here. They went back inside of the base, and Alfred then led him down a hallway he hadn't yet been down. He knocked on a door, and JJ heard shuffling coming from inside the room behind it.
"What are you doing?" JJ demanded, pulling him back. "We can't show ourselves to anyone; we have blood all over us!"
"Oh-" Alfred looked down at himself, realizing this was true. "Uh- well- I don't think they'll care. They're pretty chill guys, not gonna lie."
"Pretty chill? Who would be "chill" after seeing two people caked in blood? We're going to get caught, Alfred! Our secret will be out!"
"They won't expose us, even if they find out that we kill people. They don't care about that; you'll see."
"You're delusional!"
"I'm not. Just trust me; you'll be thankful once we're through with this. This information is going to save your life."
Before JJ could continue arguing, the door suddenly opened. A man stood there, tall and scruffy, and glared at Alfred.
"Why are you back here again?" He demanded, narrowing his eyes. Before Alfred could answer, he noticed JJ standing beside him, and sighed in frustration. "I told you not to tell anyone else about this. The one god damn thing I asked of you, and you screwed it up?"
"That definitely sounds like him." JJ thought, side-eyeing Alfred without him knowing.
"Listen, I know what you said, but-" Alfred pulled JJ over so he was in better viewing range. "It's important that he knows about this too. He's my business partner."
"Does it look like I care?" The stranger snapped. "You're lucky we're even giving you an opportunity to escape with us, but you're about to be cut off from the deal because of how hard you're tryna push it."
"But that would mean extra money for y-"
"I'm more concerned about having to deal with another idiot. Take him home and don't come back until January 12th, and then maybe I'll consider accepting you back again."
JJ's heart started to beat out of his chest as he listened to their conversation.
"I don't know how," He thought amidst his racing mind. "But they're talking as if there's truly a way to escape from this. A way to escape the killer clowns, and he's trying to leave me out of it."
"I'm not a liability," JJ intervened. "I can take care of myself. You won't even notice I'm there; you won't have to even think about me. Just, whatever is going on, let me join in. I'll do anything it takes to get out of here."
"Nope." The man answered instantly. "Like I said, go home. I won't ask you again."
"And neither will I." JJ walked up to him and looked him right in the eyes, remaining bold despite the fact that this guy was nearly two feet taller than him. He got out his knife, and held it out in front of him threateningly. "I'll pry the information out of you if I have to. How does this escaping tactic work, and how do I get in on it?"
